Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.

Collection Number

Ms2008-021

Title

Leftwich Family Letters,
1861-1866

Physical Characteristics

1 box; .2 cu. ft.

Creator

Leftwich family

Language

English

Abstract

The Leftwich Family letters include correspondence from James B., William, and Thomas Leftwich in addition to missives from
a family friend and a bereaved lover. The soldiers' letters issue from Civil War battlefronts and provide insight into significant
battles (the Battle of Bull Run), war-time trade, and the daily routine of a soldier.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Leftwich Family Letters must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Leftwich Family Letters, Ms2008-021-Special
Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Leftwich Family Letters were donated to Special Collections in 2004.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement and description of the Leftwich Family Letters occurred in May, 2008.

The Leftwich family has a long history in Virginia dating to the early seventeenth century. This deep-rooted family provided
many Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. From Bedford County, several of John Smith Leftwich's sons donned gray uniforms-specifically,
James B., Thomas, and William Leftwich.

James B. [Breckinridge] Leftwich was born in February 1836 and was a farmer by profession. He enlisted in the Confederate
Army on April 21, 1861 and served in the 28th Virginia Regiment, Company F. James was wounded at Gettysburg. A POW from April
4, 1865 to June 19, 1865, James was transferred from Old Capitol Prison, in Washington D.C., to Sandusky, Ohio before his
release. Following the war, James married Susan Elizabeth Jeter (daughter Jesse Jeter and Susan Robinson Jeter). They had
six children. Susan was born on December 9, 1838 and died in Lynchburg, Virginia, August 25, 1920. James B. Leftwich died
September 30, 1911.

Less biographical information is known about William and Thomas. Both served in the Confederate Army. William C. Leftwich
was born on April 6, 1841 and died January 5, 1865. Thomas Jefferson Leftwich was born on October 29, 1847 and died on Feruary
1, 1865 in Chafins Farm Hospital near Richmond, Virginia.

Annie S. Gilliam was a mother and widow living in Amherst County, VA that fell in love with William Leftwich. After William's
death, Annie wrote of her deep grief to Bettie (William's sister). Annie later moved to Marion, VA and remarried.

Twenty-six letters dating from 1861 to 1866 comprise the Leftwich Family Letters. This collection of correspondence centers
on a family from Bedford County, Virginia during the American Civil War. Authors include brothers James B. Leftwich; William
Leftwich; Thomas Leftwich; a family friend called Prophett; and William's grief-stricken lover, Annie S. Gilliam. Salient
topics consist of the soldiers' desire for goods, the use of alcohol, frequent sickness, recreation, food (both the dearth
of food and its infrequent abundance), death, and significant battles. In one notable letter, James B. Leftwich discusses
First Battle of Bull Run shortly after the conflict. These letters issue from several locations in Virginia (Manassas, Yorktown,
Franklin Depot, Amherst County, and camps near Richmond and Petersburg) but also mention marches to North Carolina. Writing
from Amherst County, Annie S. Gilliam's lengthy letters hyperbolically discuss the sorrow of losing someone in the war.